2001 Australian Drivers' Championship

Australian Drivers' Championship
Company type	Motor racing competition
Industry	Motorsport
Founded	2001
Area served	Australia

The 2001 Australian Drivers' Championship represented a national motor racing competition officially recognized by the CAMS. It was contested by drivers piloting vehicles adhering to Formula Holden specifications, with the victor receiving the 2001 CAMS Gold Star award. This event marked the 45th iteration of the Australian Drivers' Championship and was marketed under the title 2001 Holden Australian Drivers' Championship.

Throughout the season, Rick Kelly showcased exceptional performance behind the wheel of a Birrana Racing Reynard 94D powered by a Holden engine. Kelly secured victory in twelve out of sixteen races, concluding the championship with a remarkable lead of 151 points over second-place finisher Christian Murchison, who drove a Reynard 97D Holden. This margin stands as the most substantial in the history of the ADC. The third position was claimed by Alan Gurr, also driving a Reynard 94D Holden. The remaining four races, not won by Kelly, were taken by his Birrana Racing colleagues and former titleholders: dual champion Simon Wills achieved three wins, while three-time champion Paul Stokell triumphed in the final race held at Winton Motor Raceway.

Teams and drivers

Entrant	Chassis	No	Driver	Rounds
Birrana Racing	Reynard 94D	1	Template:Country data NZL Template:Namespace detect showall Simon Wills	2–3
		1	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Paul Stokell	8
		2	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	All
	Reynard 95D	9	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Brenton Ramsay	7–8
Paul Stephenson Racing	Reynard 92D	3	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Paul Stephenson	1–2
Ralt Australia	Reynard 94D	11	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Alan Gurr	1, 3–8
	Reynard 92D	11		2
	Reynard 97D	12	United States Emerson Newton-John	5
	Reynard 97D	12	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Chris Staff	8
John Herman Racing	Reynard 94D	12	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Con Toparis	4
Millar Motors	Reynard 92D	17	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Mark Ellis	2–3,5,7
NRC Racing	Reynard 95D	19	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Stewart McColl	1–3
NRC Racing	Reynard 95D	20	United States Emerson Newton-John	1–3
Cantech Engineering	Reynard 91D	24	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Ian Peters	2–8
National Neon Signs	Ralt RT23	27	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Terry Clearihan

Calendar

The championship unfolded over eight rounds, each consisting of two races.

Round		Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winner	Team
1	Race 1	Template:Country data Victoria Template:Namespace detect showall Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit (Phillip Island, Victoria)	23–25 March	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
1	Race 2		23–25 March		Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Stewart McColl	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
2	Race 1	Template:Country data South Australia Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide Street Circuit (Adelaide, South Australia)	6–8 April	Template:Country data NZL Template:Namespace detect showall Simon Wills	Template:Country data NZL Template:Namespace detect showall Simon Wills	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
2	Race 2		6–8 April		Template:Country data NZL Template:Namespace detect showall Simon Wills	{{flagicon{NZL}}} Simon Wills	Birrana Racing
3	Race 1	{{flagicon{Northern Territory}}} Hidden Valley Raceway (Darwin, Northern Territory, Northern Territory)	11–13 May	{{flagicon{NZL}}} Simon Wills	{{flagicon{NZL}}} Simon Wills	{{flagicon{NZL}}} Simon Wills	Birrana Racing
3	Race 2		11–13 May			{{flagicon{NZL}}} Simon Wills		Birrana Racing
4	Race1	rowspan="2"\|{{flagicon{Australian Capital Territory}}} Canberra Street Circuit (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)	rowspan="2"\|8–10 June	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
4	Race2			{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
5	Race1	rowspan="2"\|{{flagicon{Victoria}}}Calder Park Raceway (Melbourne, Victoria)	rowspan="2"\|13–15 July	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
5	Race2			{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
6	Race1	rowspan="2"\|{{flagicon{New South Wales}}}Oran Park Raceway (Sydney, New South Wales)	rowspan="2"\|27–29 July	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
6	Race2			{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
7	Race1	rowspan="2"\|{{flagicon{South Australia}}}Mallala Motor Sport Park (Mallala, South Australia, South Australia)	rowspan="2"\|10–12 August	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
7	Race2			{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
8	Race1	rowspan="2"\|{{flagicon{Victoria}}}Winton Motor Raceway (Benalla, Victoria)	rowspan="2"\|7–9 September	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Paul Stokell	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	Birrana Racing
8	Race2			{{flagicon{AUS}}}Rick Kelly	{{flagicon{AUS}}}Paul Stokell	Birrana Racing

Points system

Points toward the championship were distributed according to the following scale for the top ten finishers in each event: 20 points for first place, 15 for second, 12 for third, followed by 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively.

Championship results

Position	Competitor	PHI		ADE		DAR		CAN		CAL		ORA		MAL		WIN		Total Points
1	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Rick Kelly	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	5	293
2	Template:Country data SIN Template:Namespace detect showall Christian Murchison	3	3	Ret	9	5	5	2	2	2	2	DNS	2	2	Ret	4	Ret	142
3	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Alan Gurr	Ret	align="center" style= " background: #ffffff; " >DNS	align="center" style= " background: #ffdf9f; " >3	3	Ret	4	3	Ret	10	6	2	3	3	2	5	2	-	4	Template:Flagicon A US Peter Hill	6	4	5	4	DNS	11	5	4	8	4	3	4	9	4	6	6 !111 \|-	5	Template:Flagicon USA Emerson Newton-John	2	Ret	DNS	Ret	4	Ret ...	-

External links